NCAA Timeout Question
 

Working a women's summer league w/ college players last week. League uses NCAA rules. A1 chases a loose ball and gains control of it with one foot on the floor in bounds and one foot in the air. She has complete control of the ball, her foot is completely stationary on the floor, however her momentum is taking her OB. She looks at me and requests a timeout just before her airborne foot hits the floor OB. I granted the timeout. The other team was irate saying that I shouldn't have granted it.

Had she been completely airborne and tried to get a TO, I would not have granted. However, in the situation above, I was/am not familiar enough w/ the NCAA rule to reverse my decision and go w/ an OB violation instead.

Was I right in granting the TO? Thanks!

According to 5-12-1(c), you would be correct. An airborne player would not be granted a TO if their momentum was carrying them OOB or into the backcourt, but since one foot was on the ground, she would not be considered airborne.

Short answer: YES.

Long answer. Here is rule 5 Section 12. Timeouts Not Granted
Art. 1. No timeouts shall be granted:
a. To the opponents of the throw-in team after the throw-in starts.
b. During an interrupted dribble.
c. To a player or coach when an airborne player’s momentum is carrying him/her out of bounds or into the backcourt.
d. Unless there is player control by the requesting team. (Exception:
Rule 5-12.1.c)
e. A timeout shall not be granted until after the jump ball that begins the
game and the conditions as described in Rule 5-10 are in effect.

5-12-1.c was not breached as A1 was not airborne.

I think this should answer the question:

Section 12. Timeouts Not Granted
Art. 1. No timeouts shall be granted:
a. To the opponents of the throw-in team after the throw-in starts.
b. During an interrupted dribble.
c. To a player or coach when an airborne player’s momentum is
carrying him/her out of bounds or into the backcourt.

I am pretty sure in NCAA M/W they have to have both feet on the ground and established in bounds to call a to. In HighSchool all your looking for is control of the basketball. Also I think in the NBA they take that a step forward and say that it doenst matter how many fee you haev in bounds that if a players momentum is going out of bounds then it can not be granted. If this is not the correct ruling someone let me know.

See the attached link. I hope that you can get this without having to sign up.

https://www.eofficials.com/controlpa...y/Content/NCAA Staff/NCAA Womens Basketball/NCAA WBB Officials Clinic_Officiating the Rule Changes.wmv&ContentID=25056

If you were unable to view it, they want the officials to be slow to call this play and see what would happen once the players momentum has stopped. If her momentum is not going to carry her OOB, then call TO.

Thanks for the info. I didn't know the NCAA rulebook was available online until about a minute ago. I looked it up found that info. I appreciate your replies. I looked up the definition of control and it doesn't seem to specify/define control as it relates to one or both feet on the floor.

You quoted the rule above, so where does it say both feet have to be on the ground, inbounds?

How do you go from this:
to this:
The rule deals specifically with an airborne player. If a foot is down, she is not airborne.
Furthermore, even if she is airborne, a TO should still be granted if the momentum is not carrying her OOB.

Even if one or both feet were inbounds at the time of the request?

Going through the video I did discover that NCAA-M and NCAA-W have a different rule as it pertains to delay when a defender, during a throw-in, crosses the vertical plane of the boundary.


9-6-4. (Men)The opponents of the thrower-in shall not have any part of their person beyond the vertical inside plane of any boundary line before the ball has crossed that boundary line.

10-3-7. (Women) After a team warning has been issued, the opponents of the thrower-in shall not have any part of their person beyond the vertical inside plane of any boundary line before the ball has crossed that boundary line.